dear

[ deer ]

/ dɪər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR dear ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, dear·er, dear·est.

beloved or loved: a dear friend.

(used in the salutation of a letter as an expression of affection or respect or as a conventional greeting): Dear Sir.

precious in one's regard; cherished: our dearest possessions.

heartfelt; earnest: one's dearest wish.

high-priced; expensive: The silk dress was too dear.

charging high prices: That shop is too dear for my budget.

excessive; high: a dear price to pay for one's independence.

Obsolete. difficult to get; scarce.

Obsolete. worthy; honorable.

noun

a person who is good, kind, or generous: You're a dear to help me with the work.

a beloved one.

(sometimes initial capital letter) an affectionate or familiar term of address, as to a child or romantic partner (sometimes offensive when used to a stranger, subordinate, etc.)

adverb

dearly; fondly.

at a high price: That painting cost me dear.

interjection

(used as an exclamation of surprise, distress, etc.): Oh dear, what a disappointment! Dear me! What's all that noise?

Origin of dear

before 900; Middle English dere, Old English dēore; cognate with Old High German tiuri, Old Norse dȳrr

SYNONYMS FOR dear

1 darling, cherished.

5 See expensive.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR dear ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM dear

dear·ly, adverb dear·ness, noun

Words nearby dear

dean's list, deane, deanery, deanna, deanthropomorphism, dear, dear john, dear john letter, dear me, dearborn, dearborn heights

Example sentences from the Web for dearly

Before 2010, the bank essentially turned a blind eye to large cash deposits and withdrawals, which cost them dearly.

The Money-Laundering Vatican Bank Comes Clean |Barbie Latza Nadeau |May 19, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
She told students the story of how she came to value education so dearly.

Rutgers’s Silly Condoleezza Rice Protest |Kristen Soltis Anderson |May 5, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Right now, it is failing—and failing those of us that love it dearly.

Israel Must Take a More Diplomatic Approach Toward Iran |David Patrikarakos |December 17, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
Perhaps these relatively new ways of regarding poetry have not cost it too dearly.

Liberate Poetry! Robert Pinsky’s Manifesto for Readers |Daniel Bosch |August 26, 2013 |DAILY BEAST

They value our recognition too dearly for us to give it away!

A Confession on the Ninth of Av |Samuel Lebens |July 15, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
Because he likes better to do his duty, and be praised for it, than to eat the rabbit, dearly as he longs to eat it.

Madam How and Lady Why |Charles Kingsley
They were astonishing triumphs, but they were dearly bought.

The Story Of Ireland |Emily Lawless
I felt that I must live for her, for her whom her father loved so dearly!

Paul and His Dog, v.1 (Novels of Paul de Kock Volume XIII) |Charles Paul de Kock
A woman he had dearly loved had come to him for protection, and he had not driven her away.

Casa Braccio, Volumes 1 and 2 (of 2) |F. Marion Crawford
Many days have passed away, since I have received any letter so truly, so dearly acceptable as your last.

Private letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 2 (of 2) |Edward Gibbon

British Dictionary definitions for dearly (1 of 2)

dearly

/ (ˈdɪəlɪ) /

adverb

very much I would dearly like you to go

affectionately

at a great cost

British Dictionary definitions for dearly (2 of 2)

dear

/ (dɪə) /

adjective

beloved; precious

used in conventional forms of address preceding a title or name, as in Dear Sir or my dear Mr Smith

(postpositive foll by to) important; close a wish dear to her heart

highly priced
charging high prices

appealing or pretty what a dear little ring!

for dear life urgently or with extreme vigour or desperation

interjection

used in exclamations of surprise or dismay, such as Oh dear! and dear me!

noun

(often used in direct address) someone regarded with affection and tenderness; darling

adverb

dearly his errors have cost him dear

Derived forms of dear

dearness, noun

Word Origin for dear

Old English dēore; related to Old Norse dӯrr

Idioms and Phrases with dearly

dear

In addition to the idiom beginning with dear

dear me

also see:

for dear life
nearest and dearest

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

dear

adjective, dear·er, dear·est.

noun

adverb

interjection

Origin of dear

SYNONYMS FOR dear

OTHER WORDS FROM dear

Words nearby dear

Example sentences from the Web for dearly

British Dictionary definitions for dearly (1 of 2)

adverb

British Dictionary definitions for dearly (2 of 2)

adjective

interjection

noun

adverb

Derived forms of dear

Word Origin for dear

Idioms and Phrases with dearly

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

dear

adjective, dear·er, dear·est.

noun

adverb

interjection

Origin of dear

SYNONYMS FOR dear

OTHER WORDS FROM dear

Words nearby dear

Words related to dearly

Example sentences from the Web for dearly

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for dearly (1 of 2)

adverb

British Dictionary definitions for dearly (2 of 2)

adjective

interjection

noun

adverb

Derived forms of dear

Word Origin for dear

Idioms and Phrases with dearly

British Dictionary definitions for dearly (1 of 2)